Abstract
Executive function (EF) performance in older adults has been linked with functional and structural profiles within the executive control network (ECN) and default mode network (DMN), white matter hyperintensities (WMH) burden and levels of Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology. Here, we simultaneously explored the unique contributions of these factors to baseline and longitudinal EF performance in older adults. Thirty-two cognitively normal (CN) older adults underwent neuropsychological testing at baseline and annually for three years. Neuroimaging and AD pathology measures were collected at baseline. Separate linear regression models were used to determine which of these variables predicted composite EF scores at baseline and/or average annual change in composite ΔEF scores over the three-year follow-up period. Results demonstrated that low DMN deactivation, high ECN activation and WMH burden were the main predictors of EF scores at baseline. In contrast, poor DMN and ECN WM microstructure and higher AD pathology predicted greater annual decline in EF scores. Subsequent mediation analysis demonstrated that DMN WM microstructure uniquely mediated the relationship between AD pathology and ΔEF. These results suggest that functional activation patterns within the DMN and ECN and WMHs contribute to baseline EF while structural connectivity within these networks impact longitudinal EF performance in older adults.
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
7-15-2019
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroimage.2019.03.073
Funding Information
This study was supported by the National Institute on Aging and National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences of the National Institutes of Health (grant numbers R01AG033036, R01AG055449, P30AG028383, P01AG030128, TL1TR001997).
Repository Citation
Brown, Christopher A.; Schmitt, Frederick A.; Smith, Charles D.; and Gold, Brian T., "Distinct Patterns of Default Mode and Executive Control Network Circuitry Contribute to Present and Future Executive Function in Older Adults" (2019). Neuroscience Faculty Publications. 71.
https://uknowledge.uky.edu/neurobio_facpub/71
Included in
Biomedical Engineering and Bioengineering Commons, Geriatrics Commons, Neurology Commons, Neuroscience and Neurobiology Commons, Psychiatry and Psychology Commons
Notes/Citation Information
Published in NeuroImage, v. 195.
© 2019 The Authors
This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).